Common and Lil Jon both hit the stage at the Democratic National Convention to support presidential candidate Kamala Harris, delivering very different performances in the process.
Chicago’s United Center played host to day two of the political event on Tuesday (August 20), where hometown hero Common came out and performed “Fortunate,” from his recent joint album with Pete Rock.
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Joined by gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds, the Windy City lyricist made a slight tweak to his lyrics by rapping: “We fortunate, y’all, for Kamala Harris,” much to the delight of the crowd.
It was Common’s second time performing at the Democratic National Convention after he made a virtual appearance at the Covid-affected 2020 edition and delivered a rendition of “Glory” with John Legend.
Bringing a very different vibe to the night, Lil Jon performed his rowdy 2013 hit “Turn Down for What” to briefly turn the convention into a wild party as he represented his home state of Georgia’s delegates.
Patti LaBelle also performed during the convention, which also saw guest appearances from Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria and film director Spike Lee.
On a night of high-profile speakers including Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders, the show was stolen by former president Barack Obama who gave a lengthy speech in support of Harris.
During his turn on the mic, Obama took a number of shots at Republican candidate Donald Trump, saying: “It’s one of the oldest tricks in politics — from a guy whose act has gotten pretty stale. We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos. We’ve seen that movie, and we all know that the sequel’s usually worse.”
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“It just goes on and on and on,” he continued. “The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.”
Obama also gave a glowing endorsement of Harris, saying: “In this new economy, we need a president who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country who wake up every day to do the essential, often thankless work to care for our sick and clean our streets and deliver our packages — and stand up for their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions. Kamala will be that president.”
